Extreme Twister brings challenge to a classic game

Bethany Walter/Staff Photographer
St. Joseph senior Faith Lhotka laughs as she sticks her hand in paint on a Twister board during a game of Extreme Twister on Monday night in Finch Filedhouse. "I came to support the SRA program, they are always fun." said Lhotka.

Before the event started, the game looked like a twister board, with red, blue, yellow and green sequestered in nice, orderly, horizontal rows.

Then the games began.

Unlike the popular game, the board was not simply spots of colored plastic, rather the dots of color were made up of actual wet paint.

About 35 participants took turns trying to hold awkward, cramped positions, but also attempting to get as much wet paint on their opponents as possible. In the process, the paint blended together, making an ugly tie die.

Livonia junior Tiffany McAllister, organizer of the event, said the reaction to the event had been stellar.

"I've received nothing but positive feedback," McAllister said. "We had a much better turnout than we thought."

Spectators were allowed to throw cups of paint on the participants. For $1, spectators got two standard plastic cups of paint. Until the final round that is, at that point, spectators received four cups for $1.

It was suggested that participants wear all white. Most showed up in old clothes.

Students were also able to throw darts at paint filled balloons, striking specific balloons won you prizes, like a free Jets Pizza T-shirt.

All funds went toward funding the project. Any additional profit made went toward the Student Recreation Association.

The event was part of a class project for RPL 430: Planning Recreation Programs and Events. They were given the assignment to pick a charity of their choice, develop an event to raise money for that charity and gain support for the event.

"I feel like I made a mark in history," said Kelsey Taylor, who was the first champion of Extreme Twister. "I think this will truly be remembered for years to come."

The Harrison junior, won a one-night stay at the Holiday Inn, a $30 gift card to the Blue Gator Sports Pub, 106 Court St., and a free cupcake from Creme de la Creme.

Taylor beat our her competition by preparing vigorously for the event.

"We practiced the night before, me and my roommate, but without the paint," Taylor said. "Then when we got here, we stretched, we had a good prep rally, we had friends to cheer us on."

Other competitors, while fighting valiantly, fell short in the event.

One of those competitors, Mount Pleasant resident David Woodall, said the paint added an entirely new dimension to the classic game of Twister.

"The paint doesn't change the game, you still have to hit your spots, you still have stay in position," Woodell said. "But it does add a new factor. Most definitely. It does add a new factor. It adds an excitement, a fear factor."

The paint, by common consensus, added two new challenges to the game of Twister. The first, as many experienced, was the board became much more slippery, as several participants struggled to stay on their feet as they slid across the paint. The second was simply finding the color you were supposed to be on.

"I was lucky I went in the first round, the colors were still there," said Kate Teneyck, a Sault St. Marie freshman. "This round I would be screwed, I'd be trying to wipe the paint off in the middle of the game, trying to find where to put my foot."

McAllister said Extreme Twister was appealing to college students because of its radical nature.

"This is a crazy idea, and college students love crazy. They love getting messy," McAllister said. "It's kind of just like Dayglow, and we thought if that's a popular idea, why not this?"

Still, McAllister did not see the Extreme Twister being sold in stores anytime soon.